146 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



tlio Savanna from a hole in the fork of a tree at the height of 

 about 20 feet from the ground. It contained seven dirty white 

 eggs, a trifle smaller than those of the common fowl, and as they 

 were perfectly fresh, most likely the bird had not finished laying 

 her fu]l complement ; a singular thing about the Warracaba is 

 its dislike for young ducks, which it always destroys when it finds 

 the opportunity. I am told that it is impossible to rear ducks 

 where any oE them are kept." 



Mr. W. Beebe (Our Search for a Wilderness, p. 331) gives the 

 following note : — '■ They run very swiftly, but seldom use their 

 wings, and, although they swim quite well, rivers of any size are 

 never crossed. They feed on the ground and roost in the tall 

 trees. The voice has many variations, but the sound from which 

 the name is derived is very loud and sonorous and can be heard at 

 a great distance. When standing upright the Trumpeter reaches 

 a heioht of from 18 to 20 inches." 



Family IBIDID^. 



Members of this family are distributed in the temperate, sub- 

 tropical, and tropical portions of the world. They are generally 

 distinguished by their somewhat long and arched bills. 



Genus THERISTICUS Wagl. 



Ther/'sficns Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1231. Type T. melanopis Wagl. 



This genus is characterized as having the head feathered ; 

 region of eye, chin, and upper throat bare, with some warty 

 papilho on the lores ; anterior aspect of tarsus reticulated. 



92. Theristicus caudatus. 

 Guiana Ibis. 



Theristicus caudatus (Bodd.), Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 57, 1783 (Caj'enne) ; 

 Salvin, Ibis, 188(5, p. 171 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mas. xxvi.' pp. 23, 

 265, 1898 (Kupurumi River, Annai) ; Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. 

 Amer. i. p. 47, no. 445, 1922. 



Ibis aJbicolUs Cab. in Scliomb. Heis. Guian. iii. p. 757, 1848. 



Aihdt male. Head and neck umber-brown, with white bases to 

 the feathers ; back, scapulars, and lesser upper wing-coverts olive- 

 grey with pale edges to the feathers, paler and more ash-grey on 

 the latter; rump and upper tail-coverts bottle-green; tail greenish 



